


Suits and Cufflinks

by prettybirdy979



Series: Thicker than Water [12]
Category: Cabin Pressure, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-15
Updated: 2013-02-15
Packaged: 2017-11-29 10:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/685819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettybirdy979/pseuds/prettybirdy979
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a party in London this time. Theresa is looking forward to a night of Martin and maybe exchanging a few barbs with that Holmes fellow. She's about to get a bit of a surprise though....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Suits and Cufflinks

**Author's Note:**

> Not betaed. Thanks to snidget for reading it over. =) Written for [this](http://cabinpres-fic.dreamwidth.org/6625.html?thread=11508705#cmt11508705).
> 
> Can be read as a stand alone fic.

Martin tugged at his tie. Theresa slapped his hand gently away from it. She smiled as Martin tried not to pout even as he began to do so.  
  
“I don’t see why I can’t wear my uniform like I did last time.” He said, fiddling with his undone cuffs instead.  
  
“Because you do not have the excuse of being on duty this time.” She grabbed his jacket off the back of her hotel’s desk chair and placed it on her arm as he moved onto fiddling with his collar. “Relax Martin. You look very handsome.”  
  
He blushed. “Really?”  
  
“Yes.” She ran her hands down his front and he gulped. “An added bonus. Not that you do not look handsome in your uniform but this is something,” she moved her hands off his body and brushed his cheek, “extra.”  
  
Martin looked down. “It’s just an old suit. My brother’s old suit. Not that I don’t have a suit but he sent me this a while back and it’s much nicer than mine which is really just my uniform without the jacket and the hat-”  
  
Theresa placed a finger on his lip to stop his stammering. He crossed his eyes trying to look at it. “This is an old suit?” She asked, moving her finger so he didn’t hurt his eyes.  
  
“My brother’s old suit. He said he had it adjusted to fit me as it was out of fashion.”  
  
Theresa laughed. “Your brother is a liar Martin. This suit is not out of style, in fact it’s very much in style. And,” she added holding up the jacket on her arm, “judging by the brand name right here this wasn’t a cheap suit.”  
  
Martin’s eyes narrowed. “He sent me...a new suit? I can’t accept that!”  
  
Theresa smiled. “I believe it is far too late to change your acceptance status Martin.” He blushed. “But..you do not like gifts?”  
  
Martin shrugged. “Not expensive ones?”  
  
“Oh. Well. I brought you a gift-” Martin groaned. “It’s something I saw and thought of you. When we were in India.”  
  
“Oh. What is it?” Theresa smiled and handed Martin his jacket, which he balanced on a shoulder, before grabbing the small jewelry box off her desk.  
  
“This.” She opened the box to reveal a pair of golden aeroplane cufflinks. Martin gasped in delight “While I was waiting for my flight home I went exploring and I saw these. I thought of you.”  
  
Martin reached for them, but hesitated. “They’re just something you saw?”  
  
“And thought of you.” Theresa decided that mentioning she hadn’t actually brought the cufflinks in India but had them made in Liechtenstein to more custom designs was not needed.  
  
Finally Martin pulled them from the box and fastened his cuffs with them. Theresa had to move quickly to catch his jacket as it slipped from his shoulder forgotten in Martin’s examination of the cufflinks.  
  
“It looks just like GERTI!”  
  
Theresa smiled.  
  
********  
  
An hour and a half later she was trying to hide her smile as Martin shuffled from foot to foot and eyed everyone around them, while trying not to seem nervous.  
  
At least he wasn’t as bad as he had been on their second date. Theresa had had to drag him into a bathroom and kiss him breathless before he calmed down. For a moment she had worried it was a bit much for a second date but then he’d kissed her back and only her sense of propriety had gotten them out of that room after only kissing.  
  
“Relax Martin. You’re doing fine. You managed not to stutter at your Prime Minister and the Australian Prime Minister did laugh at your joke.”  
  
Martin did stop a bit of his bouncing at the memory. “I thought she was laughing at me for a moment.”  
  
“She wasn’t. No one could laugh at you in that suit.” She pecked his cheek.  
  
He blushed. “I’ll just go grab us drinks?” He said, managing to turn his statement into a question.  
  
“Yes please. Whatever you’re having- and remember the drinks are on your government so get the one you want not the cheapest.”  
  
Sheepishly, he nodded and headed for the bar. Theresa watched him go for a moment, before pulling herself together and scanning the crowd for the man she knew was going to seek her out tonight.  
  
Like the thought of him was a summons, Mycroft Holmes appeared at her side and offered her his hand in greeting. “Your Majesty. A pleasure to see you again.”  
  
“And you, Mr Holmes. I must say, I am surprised to see you here. I would have thought you would have lost your seat by now.”  
  
Mycroft smiled his polite smile, a smile Theresa was very familiar with. “That would be so, if I were a politician. I am merely a permanent secretary to the Prime Minister.”  
  
“Who manages to stay on despite a change of Prime Ministers.”  
  
“I’m very good at my job.” Mycroft nodded slightly to acknowledge her point and Theresa smiled. Talking with Mycroft used to be the highlight of British parties.  
  
“It has come to my attention that you have appointed yourself as Lichtenstein's ambassador to Britain. Any particular reason why?” Mycroft examined her closely as she drew herself to her full height. She hadn’t even mentioned that to anyone beyond her mother, how had he found out?  
  
“I believe that my country’s relationship with yours requires a more hand on approach, especially considering my brother’s current attendance at one of your schools. After the incident with that loud mouthed blogging detective of yours and our last ambassador I decided to take on the role myself.”  
  
Just as she planned, the slight to his brother distracted Mycroft. “Your ambassador was dealing drugs and involved in a murder of a young man and his grandmother. Some may say the insults my brother offered him were far too slight. And that was a masterful change of subject.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“Quite. Would your decision have anything to do with the three visits to your brother in the last month. Three more visits than usual and all with the same extremely cheap airline.” Mycroft’s tone darkened and for a moment, Theresa felt afraid.  
  
But she didn’t let it show. “You tell me.” She challenged.  
  
“Of course. Frequent visits means you are seeing a person who you care for. But a cheap airline means you’re not willing to spend a lot of money. That particular airline means your person must live in Fitton as that is the only reason I could possibly see for anyone reusing MJN.”  
  
Theresa couldn’t help herself. She smiled and Mycroft stopped his deductions. “Oh, what did I get wrong?” He said frustrated.  
  
“Much of it.”  
  
For a moment he looked thrown but he quickly regained his composure. “Your plus one. Will you introduce me?”  
  
Theresa nodded at a point over Mycroft’s shoulder. “He’s coming over now with drinks.” And Martin was coming back, carefully holding two glass of wine. He paused when he saw the man in front of her but then quickened his pace.  
  
“Douglas once spent an entire flight trying to get a bottle of this, so I’m fairly sure it’s good. Hello Mycroft.”  
  
Mycroft blinked at him. “Martin. May I introduce-”  
  
“Yes, Theresa. I know, I came with her and you didn’t know!” Martin’s smile was huge as he handed Theresa her glass. She took it absentmindedly, too busy looking from one man to another.  
  
“You know Mr Holmes?” She asked Martin. To her surprise, he bit his lip then looked down.  
  
“Yes, sorta. Well, I d-”  
  
“What Martin is trying to say is yes, we are acquainted. Martin and I are brothers.” Mycroft cut in.  
  
“I was going to tell her that!” Martin snapped and suddenly Theresa could see it.  
  
“Your older brother I presume?” She said to Martin. He nodded.  
  
“By a fair while.” Mycroft went to argue but seemed to think better of it.  
“And the one who sent you that suit?” Theresa said with a nod at their similar coloured suits.  
  
“Yeees.” Martin turned to face Mycroft. “About that. Really? Did you have to lie?”  
  
Mycroft frowned at Theresa. “It seemed unlikely you would accept it as the gift it was and a little subterfuge was necessary. I doubted you would even have noticed.”  
  
“I didn’t. Theresa pointed out that it wasn’t out of fashion.”  
  
“Oh she did?” Mycroft examined Martin closely. “Did she also give you those cufflinks?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Custom made, aren’t they?”  
  
Theresa hissed even as Martin’s jaw dropped. “But...you said you saw them in a shop and they reminded you of me?”  
  
He sounded hurt. “I did see something very similar but I had no time to buy them then. When I returned home, it was simpler for me to have them remade than to try and find a similar pair.” Theresa explained. She passed her wine to a started Mycroft and pulled Martin into a hug. “I only wished to give you something you would like.”  
  
“I do like them. I’m just-”  
  
Theresa knew how that sentence would end. She cut it off. “No, none of that.”  She pulled his head down for a quick kiss. Then another. And another.  
  
Mycroft coughed. Martin broke off the kisses, his face flaming red. He downed his drink in one go. “Would you like another?”  
  
“I’m fine.”  
  
“Mycroft?”  
  
“A brandy if you please.”  
  
With an acknowledging wave of his hand Martin returned to the bar leaving his girlfriend and brother alone. They carefully considered another.  
  
“Suits?” Theresa asked.  
“There was a box of chocolates in there as well. Martin does not like charity. Cufflinks?”  
  
“Martin does not like charity. I am taking him to his favourite restaurant tomorrow.”  
  
Mycroft humed. “Odd. Martin is meeting Sherlock, John and I for dinn-oh. Of course.”  
  
The pair considered another a moment longer, than both checked on where Martin was. Theresa realised that Mycroft’s last words were the reason she was smiling- Martin had always planned on introducing her to his family. Mycroft had just ruined his plans. Typical.  
  
Theresa glanced back at Mycroft. “How about we no longer tell Martin the cost of each other’s gifts?”  
  
“Sounds fine to me.”  
  
Theresa was already beginning to plan her and Martin’s next date, which she hoped would include some way of spoiling Martin.  
  
Somehow she knew, Mycroft was planning something very similar. Well. Without the romance. That was hers alone.  

**Author's Note:**

> The cufflinks sorta look like [this](http://cdn2.jewelstreet.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/a/e/aeroplane_cuff_links.jpg).


End file.
